Missouri’s four trout parks opened the 2026 catch‑and‑keep season with nearly 8,000 tags sold, highlighted by a big turnout at Roaring River State Park, located near southwest Missouri near Cassville.
Roaring River Leads the State
Roaring River once again topped all parks in opening‑day participation, selling 2,499 total tags, the highest among Missouri’s trout parks. That included:
- 1,980 adult tags
- 519 youth tags
- Total: 2,499
The park also produced the day’s largest fish — a rainbow trout weighing 8.1 pounds.
Overall Opening‑Day Totals
Across the four parks, anglers purchased 7,979 tags on opening day:
| Park | Adult Tags | Kids Tags | Total Tags Sold |
| Bennett Spring | 1,691 | 228 | 1,919 |
| Maramec Spring | 1,101 | 204 | 1,305 |
| Montauk | 1,920 | 336 | 2,256 |
| Roaring River | 1,980 | 519 | 2,499 |
| Grand Total | 6,692 | 1,287 | 7,979 |
Plenty of Fish in the Streams
More than 25,000 trout were stocked across Missouri’s four parks at the opening‑day siren. Anglers reeled in over 60 lunkers, with Roaring River producing the biggest catch of the day.
Regional Breakdown
- Roaring River State Park: Southwest Missouri, near Cassville in the Ozark hills.
- Other parks — Bennett Spring, Montauk, and Maramec Spring — also reported steady opening‑day turnout consistent with recent years.
Story from MissouriNet.
